Paper Flowers

Anya sat by the river every day, watching the clear water flow on its own, traveling through the quiet valley. The sky was cloudless, the gentle spring breeze playing with the strands of Anya's hair.

Anya came to this secret place of hers, always bringing a bag with her. She took out the pieces of paper from the bag: red, purple, orange, pink, and yellow. There was no particular reason behind the choice; Anya just liked the colors.

Anya made flowers out of the paper she brought with her. Anya enjoyed her solitude, folding the paper gently to resemble a flower shape.

Anya's mother taught her how to fold the paper into the beautiful shape of a flower. It was a delicate process that required concentration and patience.

"It doesn't matter if you try and fail." The most important thing is the effort you put forth. The results will come gradually," is what Anya's mother used to say to her when she was frustrated about not folding the paper right.

"But, mom, what if I never get it right?" Anya didn't want to disappoint her mother, who always took the time to sit with her and play with paper.

"Oh, honey, don't worry. No matter how long it takes, I'm sure you'll do it. And even if you don't, that won't change anything. I'll always love you and support you; remember that."

Anya returned to the present. Those memories resurface when she's by the river, making paper flowers. It seemed like an eternity since Anya first started this little hobby of hers.

No, not a hobby. It was a ritual that she shared with her mother—an unspoken promise made between a mother and a daughter.

It was the only thing left that still connected Anya to her mother. She never gave up making paper flowers, even in the toughest of times.

The paper flowers that she let float on the water's surface were Anya's way to feel close to someone dear to her—to someone who's no longer physically there.

However, her mother's gentle touch guides Anya even now as she sits by the river in her own little world.

Anya's mother is there, in those paper flowers that Anya so lovingly creates.